Missing You
by SilverMidnightPrincess
Summary: In which a young Bumi realises he is in love with his best friend
1. Chapter 1: Miss You

Bumi grinned as he walked down the corridor of the Fire Nation palace. He had just finished his first week of training in the United Forces and was spending his leave at his Uncle Zuko's. Of course, he had told all the other recruits that he was visiting a friend and didn't add much detail from there. It was true though, he was very close friends with Zuko's family, and it turned out that Aunt Ty Lee's 'vacation in the Fire Nation' with her daughters Kia and Usha, (both powerful firebenders) had turned into more of a permanent living arrangement. The recruit silently opened the door to the main sitting room, where Kia was listening to the radio, she was so wrapped up in what was being described that she didn't notice Bumi until he scooped her up from the couch and swung her around before engulfing her in a massive bear hug.

"Bumi! Oh my goodness! You scared the living daylights out of me! I almost firebent at you! Be more careful next time!" Kia paused, breathing in, calming herself down before saying, "But it's good to see you." With a smile and hugging him back.

At first Bumi pouted at Kia's rant, he didn't really have any friends back in Republic City he could pick up like that, because most of them were generally twice his size and male, he could pick up Lin though, his best friend. She was never surprised; she just laughed and hugged him back before they started complaining about their siblings. Then he realised that the reason Lin was never surprised was because she could feel him coming a mile away, he had been greeting her like that for years and only then did he realise she knew he was coming every time. But then again, the people in the palace didn't have the Beifong seismic sense, which could allow for a lot more pranks while he stayed on the weekends, this made Bumi grin despite the pang of homesickness he felt when he thought about Lin.

"Good to see you too, Kia. Where's the evil twin?"

Kia laughed, "You mean Usha? She's probably off training somewhere, that's all she ever does, you'd think she wanted a position on the U.F. She doesn't, by the way, so you don't have much competition there." Bumi chuckled and flopped down on the couch. Kia was kind and gentle, with long black hair and golden eyes, she took after her father with the typical Fire Nation facial structure and build, but she did have Ty Lee's individual nature and flirtatious attitude. She was beautiful, and it always astounded Bumi the amount of guys who would make eyes at her when she came to visit. Usha, on the other hand, was the spitting image of Ty Lee, with long brown hair and stunning bone structure, however, if anyone met her, they would think she was Azula's child because of her manipulating attitude and cruel attitude. Bumi stretched out on the couch and the two spent the rest of the afternoon ranting about their siblings and catching up before heading off to dinner.

"So Bumi," Zuko started over his noodles "It's good to see you, although I was a bit shocked to find that your parents haven't written to me to make sure you got here ok, or to bribe me into putting you in 'safe zones' as Katara puts it. Sokka is the only one to write, and he only told me to make sure you keep Boomerang in good condition." Bumi's 'Uncle' finished with a worried tone in his voice.

Bumi grimaced, "Well dad doesn't exactly _know_ I'm here. He's off travelling the world with his golden boy, and I don't think mom was listening when I told her I was coming, only Uncle Sokka, Aunt Toph and Lin know I'm gone."

Zuko looked up from his meal and set down his chopsticks, "Well, I hope you know what you're in for, I don't think you know what the avatar state is like when you're on the receiving end, and don't even get me started on your mother when she's angry."

Bumi rolled his eyes, "I know _exactly _what mom is like when she's mad, believe me, but I'm eighteen years old, I'm legally allowed to make my own choices, I know, Lin told me all about it, mom can't force me back home."

Izumi snorted into her bowl, earning herself a glare from the others at the table. "What?" she asked, "If I didn't know better, I'd think _Bumi _was the one marrying Lin, not Tenzin, he's been talking about her all night."

"WHAT? THEY'RE GETTING MARRIED?" Bumi screeched, almost falling out of his chair, whilst Izumi and Kia burst out laughing,

"It was a figure of speech!" the fire princess started, turning to Kia, "and _you_ owe me fifty yuans," she paused when Kia gave her a questioning look, "We made a bet last summer over whether or not Cave Man here was over his childhood crush."

It was at this point that Bumi interjected, "What? You think I _like_ Lin? She's my best friend, and he's my brother, I was just a little cut that they didn't think to tell me, and they were in a bit of a rough patch when I left, so it was odd, is all."

"Three things," Kia said, "One, it's so obvious to everyone BUT Lin that you like her. Two, you're blushing redder than Kyoshi's eye make-up. And THREE, What was wrong with the love-micebirds?"

"I'll give you three guesses."

"Kids." Kia guessed without skipping a beat.

"Yup."

"What? Zuko cut in, "They are sixteen years old! They're too young to have kids now!"

Bumi nodded, "That's Lin's argument, along with - and I quote - 'No way in fricking hell I will quit my job and leave school to raise a bunch of airheads while Tenzin gets to flounce about doing council work experience and meditation.' She's right, and I think Lin is even more against it because she got wind about a member of the Council of Five retiring at the end of the year too."

Zuko gave Bumi an inquisitive look.

"She wants to prove to her mother that she is a better earthbender than Toph by making it onto the Council of Five."

Zuko laughed, "Toph was offered that job about ten times by the time she turned fourteen! I'm surprised she hasn't gloated about it to you two."

Bumi smiled, "Oh she told us alright, Lin says she wants to upstage her mom, but I think it's more about getting her attention, Su has been getting Toph's attention lately because of all the trouble she's been in at school. Lin tries, but Toph just doesn't have time for her."

"Well if the Council of Five doesn't work out, she'll always have a place on the United Forces." Zuko said, trying to lighten the mood. They were silent for the rest of dinner.

After saying his goodnights, Bumi flopped onto his bed. He had a room in the palace to himself all his life, and it was pretty much exactly how he had left it when he last visited: a polar bear-dog skin on the bed, his spare sword in the corner, a photograph of his and Zuko's family at Air Temple Island on the dresser, and his most precious possession on the bedside table: a photograph of Bumi and Lin taken about two years prior, with Lin sitting on his lap, grinning at the camera as Bumi pressed a kiss to her cheek. Picking up the photograph, Bumi looked at the picture of Lin, "Wish you were here." He whispered, finally allowing homesickness to set in as he blew out the candle and went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: The Prank and the Newbie

The normally loud mess hall at the United Forces training base was silent as Bumi entered, his footsteps the only noise made. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Bumi sat at the nearest table and looked around for a commander or someone who was shutting up the room, the only people of importance were their captain, Tang (who was always referred to by his first name, as the recruits thought of him as more of a friend than a glorified guard) and Izumi - only then did it hit the Avatar's son that not all of the men in the room had grown up with the girl, and he realised that was the reason they were afraid to talk.

It wasn't because she was a woman, there were many talented women recruited, Lin had almost accepted Zuko's offer to join two years early. She didn't end up going because Su started acting up and she heard that a Council of Five member was quitting, so she joined the Metalbending Police Force instead, as it was rumoured he was going to watch one of Toph's rigorous training sessions to decide who would be his successor. Lin of course had fully dedicated herself to her bending and was attending every training session Toph had to offer. As far as Bumi knew, there was no luck so far. Bumi almost burst out laughing at the idea that the recruits were silent because Izumi was the Fire Lord's daughter. It was almost as hilarious as being intimidated by him for being Aang's son.

The firebending Princess was scanning the room for somewhere to sit without all the recruits at her table staring at her. An idea hit the young man and a grin spread out on his face.

"Zumi!" He called out, waving her over, "Babe! How'd you get in here? I didn't think you'd actually come!"

Izumi smiled too, catching onto his plan, she blushed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, as he kissed her on the cheek. The looks on the other recruits faces were priceless as he sat her down, launching them into conversation in the otherwise silent food hall, all eyes glued on them. After pretending to catch up and arranging a dinner at a local restaurant, Bumi went for the gold.

"Why is everyone staring at us?" He asked, "Who do they think you are? The Fire Lord's daughter?" Izumi bit her lip; to the untrained eye, she would seem to have been caught out of a secret she was keeping, but Bumi knew she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"YOU'RE THE FIRE LORD'S DAUGHTER?"

Izumi lowered her head, shaking with laughter, Bumi continued.

"You said you were a cabbage merchant!"

"You think I WANTED to be a princess? Growing cabbages was all I ever wanted to do!"

"You lied about being a cabbage merchant, you lied about your name, so what's to say you lied when you said you loved me?"

"Bumi, I love you with all my heart! I just -" Izumi covered up her laugh with a false sob, "I just wanted 'us' to last as long as possible."

Bumi paused for effect.

"Zumi, what's to say it can't?"

"You would elope with me?"

"You bet I would"

By now the whole dining hall was staring at them, believing the Fire Lord's daughter was having a love affair with a nobody United Forces recruit.

"I love you Zumi!"

"I love you too, Bubu, all I ever wanted to do was -"

Izumi broke down into hysterical laughter, holding onto Bumi and burying her face in his collar. Bumi pouted, the prank utterly ruined. At that moment he thought back to the time he and Lin (inspired by a previous incident involving the two listening to their headmaster through a wall) had tricked the both their teachers into thinking that Bumi was the illegitimate child of Toph and Sokka, and Aang and Katara took him in to prevent a major political scandal. Needless to say, furious parents and uncles shut down the prank when they found out, but the three weeks leading up to that point, the two had acted entirely as if there were actually half siblings. At least Aang gave him some attention for the duration of his punishment. Bumi couldn't help but wish it was Lin with him pretending to elope, it would have worked out beautifully.

Izumi snorted with laughter,

"You should all see your faces! Bumi that was so funny!"

Bumi laughed and poked fun at his comrades, chatting with Izumi until she left for the day, then he was bombarded with questions:

"How do you know the Princess?"

"Does she really sell cabbages?"

"Is she single?"

Bumi answered as well as he could without disclosing that he was the Avatar's eldest son, before going to bed and dreaming of Lin coming to join the U.F.

* * *

><p>For the next few months, Bumi spent a lot of his time training and staying over at the palace during his time off. No one knew he was related to Tenzin or Aang, and to be perfectly honest, he preferred it that way, everyone knew him as Bumi, an excellent soldier and a friend of the princess.<p>

One morning was notably different. He got up and ate breakfast with the early risers, before going to the training ground only to find it crowded with fresh recruits, all looking terrified as Zuko addressed them, then left them to their own devices to find a room and get settled.

As the crowd dispersed, all heading to the dorms, one boy pushed his way against the crowd straight to the Fire Lord. Bumi thought it suspicious and he and a few others followed the seemingly harmless recruit, catching what he had to say to Zuko.

"Excuse me, your Honour?"

Bumi stopped dead, that was an inside joke between Team Avatar and their kids, it worked, Zuko turned around to look at him.

"I just want to say thank you for accepting me early, I know it's difficult, even for you to allow it. Oh! And Lin says hi and she misses you. She wants me to bunk with Bumi, I was wondering if you know where he is?"

"It's a pleasure, my boy, you have great talent, and as for Bumi, he's right behind you, the one with the crazy hair."

The boy turned around, he looked young, about Lin's age, which for some reason made Bumi feel a pang of jealousy: Lin was looking out for him, Lin probably got him an opportunity to be scouted for the recruits, Lin was his friend, and it was definitely _his _Lin this boy was talking about.

"Oh! Hi, good to meet you, I take it you know Lin Beifong? She gave me this to give to you."

The boy handed him a letter.

"She says she doesn't trust the post. I'm San, by the way. I moved to Republic City from the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, I didn't want to sell mouldy fruit all my life so my dad and I had a fight and I left, I lived on the streets until Su pushed Lin out a window and I caught her and she took me to dinner and Toph let me train with her and got me on the police force and now I'm here. Sorry. I babble. Lin said you'd like me."

"You're right, you do babble. But, I trust Lin's judgement and you can bunk with me."

"Alright! You wont regret this!"

Bumi took a deep breath and ushered San towards his room, giving him the spare bed and planning what to ask him after reading what Lin had to say.

The lunch bell went and San hurried off with his recruit buddies leaving Bumi to read Lin's letter.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Dun. Dun. Dun… Bet you thought this wasn't going anywhere! I'm on holidays now, so I should be able to write more. I had a horrible case of writer's block on this particular story, but thanks to my wonderful friend Alex, I have a whole heap of Linumi prompts to keep you satisfied if that happens again. <strong>

**If you have any prompts or requests for me, please let me know! I promise to credit you in the intro :)**

**Your R and Rs mean the world to me so keep them coming! They really do make my day!**

**Anyway, the letter and some romance in the next chapter!**

**Until Nextime,**

**SilverMidnightPrincess**

**Also: If you have watched Book 3 then hopefully you would have guessed that the San you know is the San I just introduced. Just younger, let me know what you think about his character. xx**


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